Paul’s exhortations to various members of the Cretan community begin with Titus as the leader of that community and call him to live an exemplary life before the people of God.

Paul urges Titus to appoint elders in the churches because of the very real danger posed to households by false teachers. We must learn to recognize and deal with such false teachers using biblical wisdom.

Having learned in the previous sermons what the offices in the church are and what type of man is called to serve in the office of elder, we are now in a position to learn why the elder board exists. What is the calling placed on elders in their position?What is their purpose?

The Word of God maintains that those who are called to office in the Church of God must meet certain objective qualifications; an internal sense of call is insufficient in and of itself to qualify a man for office.

Christ did not leave His Church leaderless when He ascended into heaven but established those who would lead and protect the people of God. Who are these leaders and how are they chosen?

The Mission drift in our culture has resulted from an inability to understand who we are, what we are called to, and why we are here. Unfortunately we find this even in the church – young folks uncertain of their task in life and their identity; middle aged folks facing mid-life crises; older folks feeling useless and simply awaiting death. And so we grope about, trying to discover who we are and what our purpose is – looking for the answer, typically, in all the wrong places. Paul’s introductory remarks in the book of Titus give us very concrete direction for answering these questions and avoiding the mission drift characteristic of our culture.